Electron beam emitters have been known for a long time and different applications are continuously arising due to the number of advantages over other techniques.
In e.g. liquid food packaging electron beam irradiation has been considered as a promising alternative for sterilizing purposes, for which wet chemistry involving hydrogen peroxide has been the traditional technical platform. However electron beam emitters may be utilized to provide sufficient sterilization of the packaging material thus eliminating the negative consequences of wet chemistry within the packaging machine.
Different issues need to be considered when dealing with electron beam emitters, of which excessive heat is one important aspect. The electron beam emitter, commonly including a main body enclosing an electrically powered cathode and an exit window, will provide a cloud or beam of emitted electrons when activated. As a result of the scattered electrons, and a high temperature electron-generating filament inside the electron beam emitter, the heat dissipated within the main body of the electron beam emitter will be high and so will the temperature within the main body.
The exit window may for this reason be provided with external cooling for improving the stability and operating life time of the exit window.
However, there is also a need for reducing the temperature at the connector area, i.e. at the location where the cathode is connected to the power supply. This is due to the fact that excessive heat is transferred from the main body towards the connector area. At this position, the temperature should not exceed 70° C. and preferably stay below 50° C. in order to provide optimal performance of the connector area. To provide the necessary cooling a simple, low-cost cooling solution is needed.
There is thus a need for an improved electron beam emitter which is capable of providing efficient cooling of the connector area. Further, there is also a need for an electron beam emitter for which the connector area cooling is provided by means of a less complex and more cost effective solution.